Total Solar Eclipse on Friday: How to Watch It Live Online

By Miriam Kramer, Space.com Staff Writer |
March 19, 2015 07:00am ET

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The path of the March 20, 2015 total solar eclipse will allow people in the Faroe Islands, northwest of Scotland, and the Svalberg Islands north of Norway to see the sun totally blotted out by the moon.

Even though most people around the world won't be able to see Friday's total solar eclipse in person, anyone with an Internet connection can watch it live online thanks to two webcasts featuring the cosmic event.

The March 20 total solar eclipse — the first since November 2013 — will make the daytime sky go dark for people in the Faroe Islands and parts of the North Atlantic. Weather permitting, the online Slooh Community Observatory will broadcast live views of the solar eclipse along with expert commentary from the Faroe Islands. You can watch the 2.5-hour-long solar eclipse webcast through the Slooh website starting at 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT) on March 20.

This map shows the predicted path of the total solar eclipse for March 20, 2015.

Credit: Fred Espenak/NASA GSFC

"Nothing — and I mean absolutely nothing in nature — is as powerful and spectacular as the totality of a solar eclipse," Slooh astronomer Bob Berman said in a statement. "Sadly, they only happen every 360 years on average for any given location, which means that a very low percentage of the population has ever seen one. This time, the moon's shadow sweeps over the remote Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic. Slooh has sent a team equipped with specialized, proprietary equipment to bring this spectacle live to the rest of our planet. This event should not be missed."

Total solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blotting out the star for some observers lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time on the planet. Very few people will be able to see the moon total eclipse the sun during tomorrow's cosmic event, but many observers in other parts of the world will have the chance to see a partial eclipse.

WARNING: Never look directly at the sun without special equipment, even during a total solar eclipse. Permanent or serious eye damage can occur when looking directly at the sun without proper protection. If you're in the eclipse zone, be very careful. You can build a pinhole camera or solar projector with binoculars to safely observe the eclipse.

Some skywatchers in Europe, northern Africa and northern Asia could see as much as 99 percent of the sun blotted out by the moon Friday, according to Space.com skywatching columnist Joe Rao. If you want to find eclipse times specific to your area, check out EclipseWise.

Editor's Note: If you have an amazing photo of last night's aurora or any other night sky view that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

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Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a staff writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also serves as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.

Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. You can follow Miriam on Twitter and Google+.